Canterlot, Equestria, 7 Anno Harminae
One day, like many others, Celestia looked around her throne room and sighed. Something had been eating at her lately. During her down time, she had come across something disturbing while using the scrying orb. She felt it was prudent to have it dealt with, but she could not do it alone. So she sent a missive to Twilight to come to Canterlot Castle ASAP. She did not have to wait for long before the Princess of Friendship had teleported herself with her friends right into the throne room. Luna and Cadence also showed up due to Celesita’s request. She was surprised though, that Shining Armor had come along.
She pushed aside the fact that Cadence’s husband had tagged along, and addressed the group. “You’re probably all wondering why I’ve called you here. It is a sensitive subject, so I will guide us to a private place.” She got up from her throne and walked off to a hall on the right side of the back wall. After using alicorn magic to unlock the room, she let them all in the room.
In the alabaster halls of Canterlot Castle, the Heroes of Harmony meet with Celestia and Luna in the private meeting room. The walls of the room are accented with Equestria's flag and gold trim. The oaken door that leads out is firmly shut and locked, to prevent prying ears. They stand in a circle surrounding a strange pedestal made of onyx. On one side are the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle and her friends: Applejack, Advisor of Honesty; Rainbow Dash, Advisor of Loyalty; Rarity, Advisor of Generosity; Pinkie Pie, Advisor of Laughter; and Fluttershy, Advisor of Kindness. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were on the other side of the pedestal. In between the two groups was Shining Armor, looking quite apprehensive at this whole ordeal. Celestia made a gesture and lit up the orb on the pedestal. “Behold, the world that I have found.”
Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed, and a projection of a blue and green marble was shown amongst the stars. The projection zoomed in to show a world unfamiliar to ponykind. It had several landmasses amongst the vast ocean that blanketed most of the world. Images played from several points across the new world, displaying strange creatures that were most like minotaurs- However, these were different in many ways. The strange creatures had a more oval-like head with no snout to speak of. They had no fur, and their lower limbs had almost simian protrusions from the end instead of hooves. These creatures however, seemed to be the only sapient life one the planet. Yet, in spite- or perhaps because of- that fact, they always fractioned off into several countries and tended to fight more wars. Celestia spoke after showing the horrors the creatures could cause to the ponies. “This is a world dominated by a very chaotic race known as humans. They are a danger to themselves, and their planet. Their technology is far superior to ours, but they have no magic in their world. I believe that it is our duty to change their ways- through magic. How would we do such a thing? By turning them into ponies!”
A hush fell over the others for a moment, until Twilight spoke out. "Celestia, are you sure about this? It doesn't seem... right. Sure, these… humans… might be different from us, but shouldn’t we try and talk it out first? Isn’t it a bit rash to-”
Interrupting her, Celestia dismissed her concerns entirely. "Oh, hush Twilight! These humans need to change! If they don’t, they will end up causing more damage in the long run."
Shining glared as intensely as he could in Celestia’s direction he wasn’t happy that Celestia had ignored his sister’s concerns. “If these humans are as dangerous as you say, is it really wise to essentially start a war with them? Not to mention the dubiousness of the magic you propose to use. This could very easily wind up going badly.”
Celestia glared back at Shining for a moment. She really had to nip his influence in the bud if her plans were to succeed. However, she couldn’t do that just yet. She decided to dismiss his remarks for now. “Have a little faith, Shining. I didn’t expect you to tag along with Cadence, so be very thankful that I don’t throw you out.” Seeing Shining scoff at that was a small victory, so she decided to continue. “Now, it will take some time to prepare the spell to jump to another world, so please, let us all step out for a moment.” She led everyone out of the room, and for a moment, everything was still.
After Celestia and the others discussing the humans left the room, Discord appeared in the room. He took one look at the world displayed and shook his head. "Oh no, this simply won't do! Let's make it far more... interesting!" With a snap of his talon, the world displayed changed. Humans still inhabited this world, but they weren't the only ones any more. Discord laughed deeply as he hid this new world under a projection of the old target. "Let's see how you deal with this, Sunbutt. I think it will be supremely entertaining!” He then left the room in a puff of smoke so as to not draw attention to himself.
After a little break, the four princesses entered the room. Luna was a bit apprehensive. “I don’t know sister. Mayhaps Twilight is right about this. Maybe we should leave these humans to their own devices? I mean it’s not exactly our problem to solve.”
Sighing, Celestia shook her head as she started channeling her magic. “Luna, I love you, but you can be so simple-minded sometimes. These humans were about 100 years away from breaking the dimension-travel problem with technology. Who’s to say that they wouldn’t come for us first if we didn’t act? Who knows what a warmongering race like that would do to our world if given the chance? It’s better for us to strike first, and take the initiative with things like this. We can’t take that sort of chance.”
Resigning herself, Luna lent her magic to Celestia, and Cadence soon followed. Twilight was still a bit hung up about it, but eventually decided to follow the lead of Luna and lent her magic to Celestia. Celestia started casting the spell, and a bright ring of light started to appear on the wall in front of her. She focused on the dimensional coordinates for the word- which she could’ve sworn was different, but her concerns were elsewhere at the moment. After a bit of focus, the light displayed a beach of some kind. They had bridged the gap between dimensions successfully. A new world awaited them, and all the humans would be forever impacted by their arrival.
Celestia stepped onto the beach first, and the others followed. She took a breath, and sighed. “We’ve done it. Now, all that we need to do is save the humans from themselves.”
Luna looked around, and saw a strange creature fly in the distance. She couldn’t quite make it out, but it almost looked like a dragon of some kind? "Sister, something about this world doesn't quite look right..."
Celestia scoffed with a batted hoof. "Luna, you worry far too much! Now, let's start making some Potion!"
Hall of Origin, Sinnoh, Pokéarth, 2022 Anno Arceai
A strange presence washed throughout the world, and something ancient awoke. Its red eyes saw across the world to a floating ring of energy over an uninhabited island off the coast of Kanto. Arceus noted that it was nothing like the rings of Hoopa or the Ultra Wormholes, so clearly this was an outside force. It spoke with anger and curiosity as it glared at the impudent portal. "Who are these intruders that dare to come into my world?" Arceus watched as strange creatures that looked vaguely like Galarian Rapidash exited the portal. However, they were starkly different- the four that exited the portal had wings to go with their horns. The tallest was alabaster with an ethereal mane and tail, and she had a Sun mark on her flanks. The second tallest was a dark blue and had an ethereal mane and tail of a night sky, and she had a moon on her flanks. The second shortest was a pale pink with a crystalline heart on her flanks. The shortest was lavender and had a starburst on her flanks.
Arceus could sense a dark scheme in the mind of the first, while the rest were more innocent. Still, if he ignored it, it wouldn’t be good. So, he decided to first send out a wave of inspiration to strong trainers around the globe to get ready. With a thought, he sent a message around the world- prepare for a fight unlike any other.
Mount Silver, Johto
Hail was falling as two champions met on the top of Mount Silver. The two locked eyes, and a battle for the ages was about to commence. Red, the champion of Kanto who had retired. Ethan, the new champion of the Indigo League, itching for this final challenge. However, just as the two of them were about to begin, they both felt something in the air. They shared a look, and they both realized the fact that it was better to leave this battle for later. Red sent out his Moltres and got on its back. Ethan sent out his Lugia and did the same. The two champions flew off in opposite directions- Red to Pallet Town, and Ethan to New Bark. They had business to attend to, allies to rally. A battle for Pokéarth was about to begin.
Meteor Falls, Hoenn
After a long search through the caverns of Meteor falls, May had found him. Steven, the previous champion of Hoenn. She squared up to face him, but she felt a powerful sensation that she couldn’t quite describe. Steven turned to face her, and spoke. “I presume you felt it too? The sense that we have more pressing matters than a Pokémon Battle at this time?” May nodded, and pulled out an Escape Rope. Steven grabbed on, and the two warped out of the cave together.
Mt. Battle, Orre
The two heroes of Orre faced each other, as it was always meant to be. One, the original who had busted up Team Cipher five years ago. The other, the new hero who had thwarted their return. However, just as they were about to square off, they both felt a pressing feeling that now was not the time. Wes and Michael both descended the mountain, deciding to attend to this more pressing matter first.
Pokémon League, Sinnoh
As Dawn stood in the Hall of Fame with Cynthia and Professor Rowan, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the other two in the room, and they had felt it too. They finished the proceedings and then walked out of the Pokémon League together.
Nuvema Town, Unova
Nate had defeated the league and was bent on finding the hero from two years ago to fight. He had traveled all this way to the hero’s hometown to see if she had returned. Just as he was about to knock on the door, he felt a sudden ominous air about, and decided to put that off for now. As he left, Hilda left her house for the first time in a while. She sent out her Reshiram, and then got on its back and flew away.
Lumiose City, Kalos
After the parade had died down celebrating the new champion and Serena had defeated AZ, a sudden chill hung in the air. Suddenly, Serena sent out her Yveltal and climbed on its back. The new champion flew off, much to the surprise of the crowd. Professor Sycamore stared off into the distance, seeing the former champion had felt it too. They had to be ready.
Pokémon League, Alola
Atop the icy peak of Mt. Lanakila, Elio had just defended his title from Lusamine. He had been champion for a few days and was starting to get into the swing of things. However, he felt something more pressing than the Hall of Fame records. He knew what needed to be done, and he rushed out of the building without a second thought.
Slumbering Weald, Galar
Two friends faced off, ready to duke it out one more time. Hop and Victor were facing each other, both ready to battle when they both felt it. A call to something more important came to them, and they nodded. This battle could wait. With Zacian and Zamazenta at their sides, they left the Slumbering Weald together.
The Paldea Region
It was an ordinary day like any other. Violet had just picked her starter, and had just beaten her rival. She was about to embark on her journey when something came over her. This overwhelming feeling that there was something more pressing at hand. But what could she possibly do? She was no champion- at least, not yet. Without the ability to traverse quickly, it could take her weeks to get to where she felt she was needed. Indecisive, she decided to ignore the call for now, until she was better prepared. Her Sprigatito looked at her from her shoulder, ready to embark on their journey.
Secret Location
Far away from prying eyes, ten individuals met in a room. It was bleak and nondescript, and out of the way. Giovanni turned to face the others. Archer, the leader of the Johto branch of Team Rocket; Maxie and Archie, the leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua respectively; Evice and Greevil, the two leaders of Team Cipher; Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic; Ghetsis, the leader of Neo Team Plasma; Lysandre, the leader of Team Flare; Dr. Faba, the leader of the break-away branch of the Aether Foundation; and Chairman Rose, the leader of Macro Cosmos. They were an unlikely set, but they had all felt it. The call that had pierced the souls of every powerful trainer had reached them as well. Together, they had formed a coalition- Team Rainbow Rocket. And no matter what came next, they would face it together.
Uninhabited Island
Celestia had wasted no time in setting up their operation. She had a team of ponies building something big- like a “factory” of some kind, a mockery of the ones the humans had. Twilight looked upon it with apprehension, unsure what to think. This whole “Conversion Bureau” idea of Celestia’s was eating at her conscience like nothing before. Then, she felt it. A call of some kind, from some force she couldn’t recognize. What was it, and why had it called to her? She looked at her friends, and they too seemed to have felt it. Though, she worried that Celestia would scold her if she left needlessly. She called out to her former mentor. “Hey, the girls and I want to do a bit of scouting around. Would that be okay?”
Celestia didn’t even turn around, dismissing them with a hoof. Taking that as an okay, Twilight quickly made a boat from some loose material from the island. After all, teleporting around in this unknown world would be foolhardy. The six of them set sail for the nearest island to get some answers.
Shining broke away from the Royal Guard once there was no one paying attention. He knew that the girls had the best of intentions, but it was Celestia that he couldn’t trust, not anymore. Steeling his will, he summoned his magic. He magically interfered, and scrambled Twilight’s location. If Celestia wanted to track his sister, she would have to try harder than that.
Meanwhile, back in Equestria…
Discord was munching on some popcorn he had summoned as he watched things unfold. He saw the beginnings of what was to come, and it was glorious. His switcheroo hadn’t been detected yet, mostly because of how thick-headed Sunbutt could be. He shook his head as he turned his attention to the humans that he was spying on through Celestia’s scrying orb. These ones were far more entertaining than the ones from that dreadfully dull world known as “Earth.” These ones had a symbiotic relationship with the other sapient race of this new world, and it fascinated him. He couldn’t help but muse to himself about what Celestia would think about that. After all, it went against all the propaganda that she had prepared to feed to the ponies of Equestria. The chaos from this situation was delicious to behold, and he could only hope that the whole situation got even more interesting as time went on…
Back on Pokéarth…
Hall of Origin
Arceus looked down upon the world, and saw the strongest trainers getting ready, just as he instructed. They were reaching others, and forming alliances. The Gym Leaders were closing their gyms and preparing to fight. The Elite Fours had descended, and started to gather their strongest Pokémon. The alliance that troubled and disturbed him though, were the former leaders of infamous organizations from around the world. Sure, the members of this “Team Rainbow Rocket” were powerful trainers as well. But their methods weren’t exactly approvable by Arceus. Though, this situation was far from regular. If he had to use the “bad guys” in order to better fight off this invasion, so be it.
He turned his attention to Violet, a young trainer that his message had reached. She had yet to accomplish much, yet she had felt the call all the same. Perhaps when he had sent out the message to strong trainers, it had reached those with the potential for it as well. That would certainly explain why some of the ponies- as he had heard them be called- had splintered off towards Kanto. Arceus sighed, wondering if it was enough. He might need to bring heroes from elsewhere to help- perhaps others from different Pokéarths. But doing that was a last resort. He would rely upon the trainers and Pokémon from around his own world first before reaching elsewhere.
He also thought of bringing strong trainers back from the past into the present, but such a thing was dicey at best. If he did that, It might cause problems. The potential for paradoxes with such an endeavor was too high, so he decided against it.
He then considered the Pokémon Rangers. They too had a stake in this. He checked on them, but it seems the headquarters had already noticed something fishy. Arceus was relieved that they had acted- though if they too had responded to his call was uncertain. Regardless, if this Celestia wanted to take over his world, she would be in for a tougher fight than she bargained for.
Viridian City Gym, Kanto
Blue had felt the call that other trainers had, of course, but he had a gym to attend to. That was his reasoning for not leaving immediately, but that all changed when he saw a familiar face. He smirked. “Well, look who it is! If it isn’t the retired champion himself! What brings you around, Red?”
Red just stared at Blue, an intense look in his eyes. "..."
Sighing, Blue realized what this was about. “Fine, I guess I can help you. Though, I’ve got to ask, do you ever speak these days?"
Once more, he was met with Red’s intense look, but something was different about it this time. "... Just this once, words can be of some use. We have something important to do. Gather the Gym Leaders, I’ll go to the Indigo Plateau.”
Just then, a third figure came in. “You can count me in!” It was a girl the both of them knew well, and a sigh was shared. Green just stuck out her tongue mischievously. The three of them left the gym together.
New Bark Town, Johto
A man with red hair was visiting the town for the first time in a long time. However, Silver had not expected to meet Ethan again. He huffed. “It’s been quite some time, Ethan. From the look of you, you want something with me. What is it?”
Ethan looked at Silver with a slightly confused look. “You didn’t feel it? The feeling that there is something important that we should be doing?”
Sighing, Silver nodded. “I did, I just do not know how much help I will be. I am still mending the bonds with my Pokémon. I’m trying to be a better trainer.”
Shaking his head, Ethan let out a sigh. “Come on, Silver. Do not give me that. Last time we fought, I could tell that your Pokémon had forgiven you for your past misdeeds. Now stop wallowing, and let’s get down to business!”
After a moment of debate, Silver relented. He let himself smile, and the two of them walked off together. Off in the distance, a girl with cyan pigtails rode on Suicune. She smiled as she urged Suicune to follow the pair. This was getting interesting.
Littleroot Town, Hoenn
After flying for a while on her Rayquaza, May had made it back to Littleroot only to discover that Brendan had been waiting for her. He had a huge grin on his face. “Looks like we get to go on an adventure together again! This time, we will work together!”
May let out a small chuckle. A lot had changed, but he remained the same. She then noticed Wally approach her as well. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, but now was not the time for reminiscing. She sent out her Rayquaza, and the three of them flew off on its back together.
Ever Grande City, Hoenn
The Elite Four of Hoenn were discussing things together when Steven burst through the doors. A hush fell over them, and then Drake spoke. “It has been a while, Steven. I suppose that you are not here to take your position back from Wallace, though.”
Steven shook his head. “We have got far more pressing matters at hand. Are all of you ready?” he looked around at the four of them, and they nodded. Steven responded. “Good. We will need all of our strength for what is to come.” They then left the League building together.
Agate Village, Orre
Wes and Michael had arrived together to speak to the one trainer that they knew who would be likely to help. They entered Eagun’s house, and he had seemingly been waiting for them. “Please, do come in.” The two heroes entered the house, unsure what to expect. He had them sit down, and he explained. “I believe the two of you sought me out because of the feeling of grave danger, correct?” When they nodded in unison, he sighed. “I am far too old to be doing this sort of thing, so I asked Rui to take care of my Pokémon for me.”
After he had said that, Rui came down the stairs, her grandfather’s Pikachu riding her shoulder. She scratched the back of her head bashfully. “I do not know how much help I will end up being, but I’ve gotten fairly good.” She looked at Wes with a smile. “It’s almost like old times huh, Wes?”
With a grin, Wes stood and shook his old companion’s hand. It was good to have her back. “Let’s do this.” Michael stood, and the three of them left the house together.
Watching them go, Eagun sighed. “If I were only a bit younger, I would be going with them…” He shook his head as he stood and grabbed his cane. It was too late for a fossil like him to go out on an adventure anymore. Those days were long behind him. All that he could do now was cheer on from the sidelines.
Professor Rowan’s Lab, Sandgem Town, Sinnoh
Dawn had told Barry and Lucas of the feeling she had gotten back at the Pokémon League. After a moment where it all sunk in, Barry spoke up. “Both of us felt it too, Dawn. It is quite the premonition, to be sure. Still, we are stronger than we were when we took on Team Galactic! This time, we will work together flawlessly!”
Nodding, Lucas spoke up too. “You may've had to bail us out last time, but this time we’re stronger! We can hold our own, and we’ll tackle this issue together!”
As the others nodded, Dawn let out a sigh of relief. There weren't any others that she would rather save the world with. Knowing that they were working together again set her mind at ease. She just hoped that they would be ready for what came next.
Turnback Cave, Sinnoh
After some time waiting for the interloper to disappear, he managed to do it. The wait had been quite agonizing, but it was worth it. He had his chance to once more gain Arceus’ favor. Volo smirked for a bit before he realized that something was different. There was a pressure in the air, one that he had not noticed before. A call to action had been issued by Arceus himself. Volo let himself smile as he exited the cave and walked off to find a disguise. This was going to be his big moment. Nobody would stand in the way of his destiny this time.
Remains of N’s Castle, Unova
Two figures stood across from each other in a room, much like they had when they had battled two years ago. Hilda had just relayed the situation to N, and he sighed deeply. “Zekrom is with somebody else that I trust now. He saved Zekrom from being used by Ghetsis, when I could not. I suggest that you go and speak to him. I have retired from Pokémon battling. You can find him in Aspertia City.”
Disappointed, Hilda let out a sigh. Still, she couldn’t exactly change his mind. She turned around, and left N’s castle. Once outside, she sent out Reshiram, and flew off in the direction of Aspertia City.
After a while of flying over Unova, she finally reached it. She touched down, and Bianca and Cheren turned to see her. Cheren smiled. “It has been quite a while, Hilda. We can catch up later, though. Somebody has been expecting you.”
Hilda turned to see the boy she had seen outside her house earlier, the one who wanted to challenge her. Nate stuck out his hand. “It is such an honor to meet you! I’ve heard so much about your exploits from your friends!”
Ashe shook the young trainer’s hand, Hilda smiled. She could sense this trainer’s strength, and she could see why N had entrusted Zekrom to this boy. A boy with spiky blue hair watched from the sidelines for a moment before going up to the others. Hugh had decided to help, and such help was welcome. It was good to have fellow trainers that she could rely on, considering what might come in the future.
Aquacorde Town, Kalos
Five friends sat around a table as they once had back at the beginning of their journey. They had not seen each other in a while, but that had allowed them all to reach their potential. They had all grown into respectable trainers since they had last met, and they had discussed the matter at hand. Calem spoke the thoughts of the group. “Together, we can do this. No matter what the future holds, we stand together!” A cheer broke out, and the quintet left the town together.
Professor Kukui’s Lab, Alola
A bit of surprise came over Elio as he saw Lillie and the Professor waiting for him. Hau had shown up to, and so had Gladion. They all knew why they had come here, and they were ready. Elio grinned. With this kind of support, they could handle anything that was thrown their way. The group walked off together, ready to face any challenge.
Motostoke, Galar
As expected, Marnie and Bede had met up with Victor and Hop in Motostoke. The two new Gym Leaders did not even hesitate to put their duties on hold for this. The four of them had been through a lot together, and this new problem was just another stepping stone. They saw Milo, Nessa, and Kabu approach, and they knew that they had a team that was ready for anything. The group all walked off together. They knew that they were ready to face what was to come.
Ranger Union, Almia
Pokémon Rangers from around the world buzzed about the Union. They had noticed an anomaly off the coast of Kanto, and it had caused the Union to go into a frenzy. They had sent out a call to all the Rangers from Fiore, Almia, and Oblivia to prepare. This was much more dangerous than any threat that they had seen before, and they needed all the Rangers that they could find.
Off the Coast of Kanto
On Twilight’s makeshift boat, the six friends had not spoken since they left. A palpable pressure hung in the air, and they were quite unsure of what to think about it. They had to see, they had to meet the humans themselves before going along with what Celestia wanted. They all were apprehensive, but the sight of the island growing closer set a sensation of wonder and awe upon them. The island was much larger than they had once thought, but it was still an island. It even had a few smaller islands off the coast. Twilight saw that both of the closest islands seemed uninhabited, so she aimed for what she presumed was the main island. Little did they know that what they were about to experience would change all of their lives forever.
To Be Continued In Chapter Two: Conflict and Camaraderie
Author's Note
It's finally finished! Well, until we know the name of the new region, then I'll have to go bac k and edit it. Still, just glad to have this finally ready! I hope yo all enjoy.
